ATNS News

New database launched - 31/03/2010
The Centre for Energy, Petroleum and Mineral Law and Policy (CEPMLP) at the University of Dundee, Scotland has launched a database that provides access to court and tribunal decisions dealing with documents that involve indigenous parties (eg. treaties, impact & benefit agreements, petitions, land use agreements). The database compliments the information available at ATNS and can help parties working with developer-indigenous relations by identifying relevant decisions and commentary on courts' approaches to indigenous agreements. The database is free and fully searchable and can be accessed here

Release of new book: Comparative Perspectives on Communal Lands and Individual Ownership: Sustainable Futures - 11/03/2010
Co-edited by Lee Godden and Maureen Tehan (University of Melbourne), Comparative Perspectives on Communal Lands and Individual Ownership: Sustainable Futures has just been released. The book addresses property and land title as central mechanisms governing access to communally-held land and resources. The collection assesses the effectiveness of property law and tenure models developed around concepts of individual ownership, for achieving long-term environmental and economic sustainability for indigenous peoples and local communities. It explores the momentum for change in the international realm, and then develops a comparative focus across Australia, North America, Africa, Peru, New Zealand and the Pacific region with contributions from local and international scholars including Marcia Langton, Lila Barrera-Hernández, Juanita M Pienaar and Hanri Mostert. The collection, with a Preface by Justice Albie Sachs, arose out of a Workshop on land tenure convened by Professor Godden and Associate Professor Tehan at the Melbourne Law School and formed part of the research under Australian Research Council Discovery grant: Managing Competing Claims to Land and Resources -Does Property Law Promote Sustainability? Click for here further information

Wik and Wik Way People Finalise Fourth Consent Determination - 15/10/2009
The Wik and Wik Way people have now completed the fourth stage of the process for recognition of native title. A consent determination made on 29 July this year covering 1,150 sq km of land has been brought into effect through the registration of an ILUA in early October. Three previous consent determinations have been made following the Wik and Wik Way Peoples’ well-known 1996 High Court victory. Negotiations will now begin for the fifth and final consent determination over the parts of their traditional lands not yet addressed by the previous determinations. Click here for further information.

Mutual Respect Agreement Signed in Ngukurr - 1/10/2009
On 29 June 2009, Yugul Mangi Elders and the Northern Territory Police Force signed a mutual respect agreement in Ngukurr, Northern Territory. This agreement involves cross-cultural training, the joint development of community and policing protocols and aims to maintain an environment of mutual respect for the future. Click here for more information and to view the full text of the agreement.

New ATNS email address - 9/04/2009
Please forward any questions or comments to the ATNS Project team at admin@atns.net.au. Click here for other Project contact information.

Victorian Native Title Settlement Framework introduced - 1/08/2009
On 4/6/2009, Victorian Attorney-General, Rob Hulls announced that the Victorian Native Title Settlement Framework will be introduced as an alternative method of resolving native title claims in Victoria. The framework was developed by a steering committee and aims to eliminate the delay, high cost and complexity of the current system. Click here for further information.

Full text of Journal of Energy and Natural Resources Law now available - 25/08/2008
Australia and other parts of the globe are experiencing an unprecedented boom in the resource extraction sector. This special edition of JERL, 'Indigenous and Local Peoples and Resource Development: International Comparisons of Law, Policy and Practice' contains ongoing interdisciplinary research examining the management, participation in and impact of resource extraction on indigenous and local peoples. Click here for further information and access to the full text.

Release of new book: Making Things Come Good: Relations Between Aborigines and Miners at Argyle - 24/11/2008
Kim Doohan's recent publication Making Things Come Good: Relations Between Aborigines and Miners at Argyle describes the story of evolving relationships between the Argyle Diamond Mine and the Aboriginal people whose land has been mined. It shows the two parties making agreements, with quite different understandings and expectations, and describes the ways in which they gradually accommodate one another's point of view. For further information on this title click here.

Submit an Agreement - 25/08/2008
The ATNS Project welcomes suggested additions to the database. Please see the Submit Agreement link. Alternatively, contact the ATNS Team.

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